Christmas Angel
by Shonetta
Summary: Janeway receives a special visitor at Christmas time. J/C.
1. Chapter 1

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 1

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2386

Beneath a window of falling snow, six year-old Angelica Janeway sat on her pink bed playing with her favorite doll, Angelina. The doll was as old as her and was a beautiful angel dressed in a gown of shimmering white. Upon the doll's back were glittering silver wings, and just like her young mistress, she had long black hair and chocolate brown eyes. As she played, clad in green pyjamas, Angelica sang to herself. She loved to sing and dance and had set her little heart on becoming a ballerina some day. Around the room, decorating purple walls, were Christmas decorations of red and gold tinsel, and every now and them Angelica admired them.

Suddenly, a light flashed before her, a bright white light, and Angelica gasped as she looked up. There, sitting on the edge of her bed, was Santa Claus.

"Ho, ho, ho," he smiled. "Hello, Angelica."

Angelica stared at him in astonishment. "S...Santa?"

"The one and only," he said.

But, as Angelica studied him, she saw a familiarity about him that made her laugh.

"Oh, you're not Santa," she cried. "You're Q!"

"Am I?"

"Yes," she laughed. "I can tell by your eyes. Oh, you look so funny!"

"How do you know Santa is not a Q?"

"Because he isn't. He's an old man, a very old man, and he lives in the North Pole."

"Maybe he's a very old Q."

"No. He's a man that used to be called Nicholas before he was called Santa. He's married and has a wife called Mary. Don't you know all this? I thought Q's knew everything!"

"Not everything. Just mostly everything."

Angelica closed the gap between them. "Why are you here? Is it to bring us presents?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm here on a mission."

"A mission?"

"To help your Mommy."

"To help Mommy? But she's fine. She's in the lounge with Daddy."

"Now she's fine, but..." He clicked his fingers and a huge crystal ball appeared before them, hovering in the air. "Look inside."

Angelica looked inside the ball and saw what looked like her mommy's quarters on Voyager. Then she saw her mommy. She was standing before a window, dressed in a blue nightie, and her long auburn hair was loose over her shoulders.

"Oh, it's Mommy," Angelica said, "when she was on Voyager. And doesn't she look pretty?"

But then she saw that her mother was crying.

"But so sad. Why is she crying, Q?"

"Because it's Christmas," he answered, "and Voyager is a long way from home. She's missing her family and is sad because she knows the crew are missing theirs too. She hopes she will get them home for Christmas next year, or the year after that, but is afraid she will never get them home."

"Poor Mommy. Can't you go to her and tell her everything will be ok? That she will get Voyager home?"

"Not me, but you can."

"Me?"

Q nodded. He then clicked his fingers and the crystal ball changed into three big Christmas tree baubles. They were floating in mid-air, spinning slowly, and were a shimmering green, blue, and red respectively. Adorning them were silver stars that twinkled in the light, and they each had a glittering gold hook.

"Oh!" Angelica exclaimed. "They're the baubles from our Christmas tree!"

"That's right. But they have quite a journey to make before they get there."

"How so?"

"Because they're not just ordinary baubles, they're very special baubles. And they're special because a Christmas Angel gave them to your mommy."

"A Christmas Angel? Really?"

"And that angel was you."

Angelica's eyes widened. "Me? I'm an angel? A real angel and not just an Angelica?"

"For a little while this Christmas...if you want to be."

"Oh, I do, I do!"

Q smiled. "Then listen carefully and we'll get to work!"

END OF CHAPTER 1


	2. Chapter 2

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 2

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2373

Alone in her quarters, Kathryn stood before a window and gazed out at the stars flying by at warp speed. With every star that passed, Voyager was a little closer to home, but still thousands of light years away. This was Voyager's third Christmas in the delta quadrant, and on this night every year, she knew that all those onboard who celebrated felt the distance more than ever. So did she. Rarely did she let herself cry, crying never achieved anything, but when she thought of her family so far away on this special night, thought of the crew so far away from theirs, she couldn't help it. It had been almost three years since she'd seen her mother, her sister, and Aunt Martha, and a part of her wondered if she'd ever see them again. Right now there was a Christmas Eve Party being held in the mess hall, a party that almost everyone was going to, regardless of whether they celebrated Christmas or not, but she didn't know if she could muster the strength to go. Not this time, not this year. While the party would lift the spirits of her crew, for her she feared it would do the opposite. It would remind her of what she had taken from them by destroying the array. Last year, and the year before, she had attended the party with all her usual enthusiasm, and had encouragingly told the crew that maybe they'd be home by next Christmas. But another year had passed and they were still not home. Would they ever be? Or would they all spend the rest of their lives on this ship?

Suddenly, a green light flashed in the corner of her eye and Kathryn instinctively turned towards it. As she did, she saw a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, in what had been a bare corner, and beside the Christmas tree, in a shimmering white dress with silver wings, was a gorgeous little girl with dark hair and dark eyes. Cupped in her hands was a glittering green bauble and, when their eyes met, the child smiled.

"Merry Christmas."

For a moment, Kathryn just stared at the child, then she hit her commbadge.

"Janeway to the bridge, intruder alert."

There was no response from the bridge, communication had evidently been disabled, but the little girl before her stepped forward.

"Oh, I'm no intruder, Mommy. I'm Angelica, your little girl in the future. I'm here to cheer you up. Q sent me."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "Q?"

"I thought he was Santa Claus at first, because he was wearing a red suit and had a beard, but he wasn't, he was Q. I'm glad, though, because even though Santa can do magic, he can't send me to the past to cheer my mommy up." She held out the bauble. "This is for you, Mommy."

Kathryn took the bauble and studied it. As she did, Q's face appeared on the shiny surface, as though he was inside the bauble looking out, and he pulled faces. Then he was gone.

"That's Q, alright," Kathryn said, looking again at the child. "But are you...are you really my little girl?"

"Of course I am," Angelica answered. "Don't you feel that I am? Because I feel like you're my mommy, even though you're not yet my mommy."

Tears filled Kathryn's eyes. Could this beautiful little girl really be hers in the future? Did the future really promise such joy? With every day that passed, a little more of her hope for the family she had always longed for died.

"And I'm here to tell you not to be sad, Mommy. You will get your crew home."

A tear ran down Kathryn's cheek. "I will?"

"Of course you will. So don't be sad, Mommy. I don't like to see you sad."

"Can you...can you tell me when we'll get home?"

Angelica shook her head. "That's not allowed. But I can tell you it will be before you have me."

The child then saw a plate of star-shaped mince pies on a table and she went over to them. "Oh, are these mince pies for eating?"

"They are," Kathryn answered.

"Can I have one, Mommy? Please?"

Kathryn could only nod.

"Oh, thank you, Mommy!" Angelica then picked one up and took a bite. "Oh, this is the nicest mince pie ever! Nicer even than Aunt Martha's! Who made it? Was it Neelix?"

"Yes," Kathryn replied. "With a little help from Naomi."

"Then she helps him better than I help you, Mommy, because our mince pies always burn. They did this morning and we had to recycle them all. Daddy was laughing, Grandma Gretchen too, but I cried and cried because we'd worked so hard at them."

Still not quite believing that this child was her's from the future, but not quite disbelieving it either, Kathryn probed for more information. "Who is your daddy?"

With crumbs around her mouth, Angelica answered. "Can't you tell, Mommy? Everyone says I look like him. Aunt Martha says it's a good thing I'm a girl or everyone would think I'm his clone."

Kathryn's heart skipped a beat. With her dark hair, brown eyes, and cute dimples, she certainly reminded her of a certain First Officer. But could it be true? Was such happiness waiting for them in the future?

"We live in a big house by Lake George," Angelica went on, "and we have dog called Bessie. We had a cat called Scout but he died of old age. You and daddy got married when you got home, because you couldn't be his girlfriend while you were his captain, and..." but before she finished her sentence, the child clapped her hand to her mouth in panic. "Oh, I'm not supposed to tell you details about the future. Pretend you didn't hear that, Mommy!"

Suddenly, the door chime played.

"And now it's time for me to go," Angelica said. "See you in the future, Mommy. And remember, don't be sad. You will get home. Goodbye, Mommy. I love you!"

The child smiled, a beautiful smile that lit up the room, and then she disappeared.

For a while, Kathryn gazed at where she'd stood, wondering if the little girl had ever really been there, but the sparkling Christmas tree in the corner, and the bauble in her hand, was testimony that she had. Kathryn looked again at the bauble and, faintly etched all over it, were the letters KCA entwined. They were barely noticeable, and yet so clear. Tenderly, Kathryn touched the bauble as another tear, this time a happy one, ran down her cheek. The little girl had been real, she would believe that, had really been her daughter from the future, her's and Chakotay's. Just like the angels in the Christmas story had brought a message of hope, so too had this little girl in an angel's costume. And there could be no greater message, no greater promise: Voyager would get home.

The door chime played again, bringing Kathryn out of her thoughts, and she called out.

"Just a moment!"

Quickly, she put down the bauble, wiped away her drying tears, and then wrapped herself in a blue robe. Then she called out again.

"Come in!"

The door slid open and Chakotay came in.

"Hi," he said. "Is everything ok?"

"Fine," she smiled, feeling for the first time, in a long time, that things really were.

"Really? I know you've been feeling down for the past couple of days. Christmas is a time when...when thoughts are more than ever at home."

"You're right," she admitted, "I have been feeling down. But I'm not anymore. Truly."

Chakotay could see the truth of that in her eyes and he smiled.

"I'm glad to hear it. It's not like you to be late to a party. I was worried you weren't feeling up to it." He gestured to the Christmas tree. "But I see you've been busy."

Kathryn glanced at the tree and then back at her First Officer. "Yes," she smiled. "And you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun!"

Chakotay smiled back and they gazed at each other warmly.

"I'll be ready in ten minutes," Kathryn then said, "if you care to wait."

"I do," he said. His eyes then sparkled. "Providing I can have one of those mince pies you have over there."

Kathryn smiled. "Help yourself."

Then, with a bounce in her step, she went into her bedroom.

END OF CHAPTER 2


	3. Chapter 3

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 3

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2403

Sitting alone before a simulated fireplace in her high-rise San Francisco apartment, Admiral Kathryn Janeway looked sadly at a handsomely decorated Christmas tree. It was a real tree, of real pine, and was adorned with tinsels and trinkets of all shapes and sizes. But it was one lone bauble that commanded her attention. A glittering green one. A beautiful little girl had given her the bauble on this very night thirty years ago, a little girl in an angel's costume who had come to Voyager with a message of hope. But, like so many futures that once had promised to be, that little girl's future no longer existed. For a long time Kathryn had been encouraged by that little girl's message, had truly believed that Voyager would get home and the future would be rosy, but when the years started to roll by and her chances of having a child became less and less, she could only conclude, and painfully conclude, that the little girl's future had gone forever. When Chakotay and Seven had got married, she knew then without a doubt that it had.

A tear ran down the Admiral's cheek as she gazed at the bauble. No one but her knew its history, its special history that made it so precious. For even though the little girl that had given it to her no longer existed, for a short time in some future she had existed, and for a short time that Christmas Eve all those years ago, their future's had intertwined just like their initials on the bauble. For that reason, she had treasured the bauble all these years. To treasure it was to treasure that little girl's memory. And yet...and yet a part of her wished that the child had never come. Having a hope, only for it to never to be realized, was crueler than having no hope at all. If the little girl had never come then...then maybe things would have been different. So many times on Voyager she and Chakotay had come close to the line, so close it would only have taken a kiss to cross it, but always she had held back, and especially after Angelica's visit. The child had said they were never a couple on Voyager, so to protect that future that had sounded so wonderful, she had kept her distance. Now a part of her regretted it. If they had crossed that line then maybe things would be different, better. Chakotay would never have married Seven, and this terrible future that was partly a consequence of that ill-fated match would never have happened.

Suddenly, a blue light flashed before the tree and, to Kathryn's astonishment, Angelica appeared. The child looked exactly as she had all those years ago and was holding a blue bauble in her hands.

"Hello again, Mommy," she smiled.

Kathryn said nothing, just gazed at her. Was this real or was she dreaming? Dreaming, she had to be dreaming. She had often seen this little girl in her dreams.

"This is for you," Angelica said, holding out the bauble. "Merry Christmas."

Dreaming or not, Kathryn reached for the bauble. "Thank you," she said.

"Are you glad to see me? It's been a long time for you, hasn't it?"

"Yes," Kathryn answered. "A very long time. But you're not.."

"Your little girl in this future, I know. Q's explained it all to me. But I will be your little girl, Mommy. When you've done what you have to do, I will be your little girl."

A light filled Kathryn's eyes at these words. No one knew of her secret plan, her plan to rewrite history and get Voyager home through a Borg transwarp aperture. No one could know it except Q or someone from that new future. But if this little girl belonged to that new future, a future that had not yet been created, how could she exist in this one? But if she was not dreaming, and she certainly felt awake, such a scenario had to be possible. There was so much about temporal mechanics that she didn't know or understand, and she had long given up trying.

"Do you know," Kathryn found herself asking, "what I have to do?"

Angelica nodded. "You have to go back in time and get Voyager home. And you do, Mommy. You do it. So, don't be afraid. That's why I'm here. I'm here to tell you not to be afraid. I know that you are. While you want to get Voyager home sooner, you're afraid your plan won't work or that it isn't right to try because of some digestive...or some word like that. But it is, Mommy. Q says it has to be."

Tears filled Kathryn's eyes. The child was right. As much as she wanted to get Voyager home sooner, and as hard as she had worked to achieve that, there were times where crippling doubt entered her mind. This future was not bad for everyone. When she looked around and saw the smiles of children, children like Sabrina, terrible guilt consumed her at what she was planning. For what she was planning would wipe them out of existence, perhaps never to exist again. How could she do that? What right did she have to decide the fate of millions? No right. And for that reason she had serious misgivings about her quest, almost to the point of abandoning it.

"So, don't give up, Mommy. We all need you."

The child smiled, a beautiful smile that reminded Kathryn of Chakotay, and then she disappeared. Slowly, tearfully, Kathryn looked away from the tree to the blue bauble in her hand. It was identical to the first, except for the color, and it was also engraved with the intertwining letters KCA. As she gazed at it, joy filled her heart, the joy of a better future, and for the first time in years she felt at peace. Then, she got to her feet, went over to the tree, and happily hung up the bauble.

* * *

><p>A FEW MONTHS LATER<p>

"Tell me," Kathryn said to her older-self as they shared a last drink in her quarters, "why did you give up coffee? Or, more to the point, how?"

The old Admiral smiled. "Let's just say I lost my taste for it."

"I find that hard to believe. It's been my lifeline for seven years."

"Lifeline's can break," the old woman answered. "Just like a heart." She paused. "Just like I know yours is over what I've said about Chakotay and Seven."

At this, Kathryn lowered her eyes.

"But nothing will come of it, Kathryn. They don't belong together. They didn't in my future and they don't in yours."

"You can't know that. Chakotay wouldn't get involved with her if he didn't...if he didn't love her."

"He loved her in my future, very much. But love, real love that is more than the giddiness of attraction, takes time to grow. They've only been on a few dates. They don't love each other, not yet. Chakotay's just...he's just lonely. He doesn't think you will ever return his feelings and, as hard as it's been for him, he's had to move on. Seven is lonely too, more so than you realize, and in each other they've found companionship and comfort. But there's a whole Federation of opportunities awaiting Seven in the Alpha Quadrant and their fledgling relationship won't survive. Trust me, I have it on good authority."

Kathryn raised her head at this. "Whose?"

"A Christmas Angel's."

Kathryn's eyes brightened. "You mean...?"

Her older-self nodded. "I had another visit. This last Christmas Eve." She tapped a rhythm onto her commbadge and seconds later a silver bag materialized on her lap. The Admiral opened it carefully and pulled out the blue bauble. "She told me not to give up and she gave me this. I'd like you to have it."

Kathryn took the bauble and studied it. Apart from the color, it was exactly the same as the bauble that meant so much to her.

"Our little girl will still exist, Kathryn," the Admiral said. "But only if our mission is a success."

Kathryn looked up from the bauble into the tired eyes of her future-self. "It will," she declared. "We'll make it a success. We'll get Voyager home."

Admiral Janeway smiled. "We will," she said. "Finally, we'll get Voyager home."

END OF CHAPTER 3


	4. Chapter 4

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 4

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2379

Cold, despite the layers of clothes she was wearing, Kathryn opened the door to her tenth-floor apartment in Bloomington, Indiana, and tried not to drop the pile of Christmas cards she was carrying. They had arrived at reception that afternoon and had to be at least a hundred in number. Warm air greeted her as soon as she stepped into her lounge, and a fluffy white cat came to meet her with a meow. Kathryn put the cards down on a table, petted the cat, and then took off her coat. Then she fed the hungry animal, replicated herself a coffee, and sat before a simulated fire to look through her pile of cards. Directly opposite her, next to the lounge's only window, was a Christmas tree. It was adorned with decorations, and amongst the tinsel and beads, were two special baubles. One was green and the other was blue.

Kathryn looked through her pile of cards quickly, as she hoped to find one from a certain person, but while there were cards from all over the Federation, there wasn't a single one from Herintan. This was the planet where Chakotay was stationed. He had left Earth eleven months ago, with a team of stellar archaeologists, to excavate an ancient site on the surface. The project had initially meant to last only eight months, but as their work could not be completed in that time, it had been extended to a year. That year would soon be up and then he would be back. At least, she hoped so. Just as her older-self had predicted, he and Seven had gone their separate ways after getting home, but their parting of ways had not led to the happy ending that Kathryn had hoped for. Quite the contrary, she had Chakotay were more distant now than ever. They had only exchanged a few letters over the past year, most of them hers, and her last communication from him was three months ago. Even though Chakotay's people didn't celebrate Christmas, he had always given her a Christmas card, every year without fail, and it concerned her that she hadn't received one this year. Was he ok? There was no reason for him not to be, and surely she would have heard if he wasn't, but she worried nonetheless. But Herintan was a long way away, at least a week's journey, so it was quite possible that her card had disappeared into oblivion during a postal transport relay. Message relaying was unreliable at the best of times and transport relaying was even more so. It was much better to think the card had been lost than to think he had not sent one. But she couldn't help but wonder if he simply had forgotten. He'd mentioned a Helena a few times in his letters, a woman archaeologist on the dig he'd become friends with, and maybe they'd become an item. If so, a christmas card to an old friend back on Earth would hardly weigh heavily on his mind...or on his heart.

With tears in her eyes, Kathryn looked up at the Christmas tree before her. On top of it was an angel, a small angel with golden hair and golden wings, that her father had given her as a child. As she looked it, looked at the baubles, she thought of the little girl in an angel's costume who had come to Voyager with a message of hope so many Christmases ago. That little girl would probably never exist now. Perhaps it was time to let go of the hope that she would. Perhaps it was time to let go of Chakotay.

Then, suddenly, a red light flashed before the tree and the little girl appeared. Her dark hair was loose over a shimmering white dress, just as it had been six years ago, and on her back were silver wings. The child smiled, a beautiful smile that was Chakotay's, and in her hands was a red bauble.

"Hello again, Mommy," she said.

It took Kathryn a moment to find her voice. "Hello...Angelica."

The little girl held out the bauble. "This is for you."

Kathryn took the bauble. "Thank you."

Scout, the cat, wandered over to Kathryn and studied the child curiously. When she saw him, Angelica hurried over to him and hugged him. "Oh, Scout, it's so good to see you! I've missed you!" She kissed the animal twice and then turned back to Kathryn. "I can't stay long, Mommy. Q says I have to make this quick. So, I'll give you my message. Daddy needs you. He's very sick and is dying."

Kathryn flinched. "Dying?"

"But don't worry, Mommy. He won't die, not if you go to him." The child then smiled. "Goodbye, Mommy. Goodbye, Scout."

Then, as quickly as she had appeared, she was gone.

Dazed, Kathryn looked at the bauble in her hand. It was exactly the same as the other two, identical except that it was red.

Red.

Red for danger. Chakotay's danger. He was sick, Angelica had said, dying. Those words had knifed her heart and she felt the pain still. But were they true? Was he really dying? There was only one way to find out, and that was to go to him. Resolved, she got to her feet, hung the bauble on the tree, and then started to pack.

* * *

><p>A WEEK LATER<p>

"I'm very sorry you were not informed of the Commander's condition, Admiral," a male human doctor apologized to Kathryn at Herintan's only hospital in its only city, "but that is not our fault. It was up to his colleagues to inform his friends on Earth. We have relayed a message to his sister, who is his only listed next of kin, and that is all we are obliged to do."

"I understand that, doctor," Kathryn answered, "but I'm damned angry that no one thought to inform me." From what she had learnt at the dig, Chakotay had been hospitalized with a deadly virus six weeks ago and had been in and out of consciousness ever since. "Chakotay is a very dear friend."

"I appreciate that, Admiral, but the fact of the matter is you are not his next of kin. You are not even a work colleague. You are just his former captain. We were not obliged to tell you."

Tears stung Kathryn's eyes. He was right. There was no affiliation between her and Chakotay any more. That had ended the day she had stopped being his captain. Now they were nothing to each other. Nothing except what their hearts made them.

"How is he?" she asked quietly.

"Not good," the man replied. "This virus, which is native and exclusive to this planet, is curable, but surviving it takes a strong constitution and a strong will to live. The Commander has a strong constitution, and we have the virus under control, but he seems to lack the will to live. And, to be frank, I'm not surprised. In the six weeks he's been here, he's hardly received a single visitor. He may feel there is nothing, or no one, to live for. But if he is to survive, he needs to start fighting."

A tear ran down Kathryn's cheek. "I'll see that he does," she said. "I promise you."

The doctor put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Would you like to see him?"

Kathryn nodded.

"Then come with me."

The doctor led her from his office into the hospital's intensive care unit. Chakotay was one of only three patients there and he was in a room on his own at the end of the corridor. It was a small room of clinical white and Chakotay was lying on a biobed in the middle of it. He was attached to several machines and was covered with a white blanket. The sight hurt Kathryn's heart and at the pain her vision blurred.

"I'll leave you alone with him," the doctor said. "We can talk some more later."

The doctor then left and Kathryn slowly made her way over to the bed. Chakotay was lying still, propped up by pillows, and his eyes were shut. Kathryn glanced at a monitor behind him, to see if he was conscious or not, and she was relieved to see that he was conscious. Quietly, she sat on a chair beside the bed and took his hand in hers.

"Hello, Chakotay. Long time no see."

At the sound of her voice, Chakotay's eyes fluttered open. "K...Kathryn...?"

"That's right," she said. "I'm here."

Chakotay's kind brown eyes looked into hers and tears filled them.

"I didn't know you were ill," Kathryn went on. "No one told me. But I'm here now and I'm going no where until you're coming with me. Understand?"

Chakotay nodded and squeezed her hand as a tear escaped his eye. Kathryn squeezed back and then raised his hand to her cheek with a kiss.

END OF CHAPTER 4


	5. Chapter 5

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 5

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2380

On the verandah of their luxury home overlooking Lake George, Kathryn and Chakotay stood side by side and looked out at the fierce blizzard that had put paid to their plans of attending B'Elanna's Christmas Eve party. They were dressed for the event, Chakotay wearing a black shirt over black pants and Kathryn a classy blue velvet gown, but the snowstorm was so severe that transports were prohibited in the area. As Kathryn was eight months pregnant, they did not want to risk making the trip in a shuttle, so they were having to spend Christmas Eve alone in their new home. And, given the choice, neither wanted to be anywhere else.

"It really is a blinder," Kathryn said, leaning against her husband. "The last time I saw a snowstorm this bad was when I was fourteen years old. My parents had taken me and Phoebe to a log cabin in the alps for Christmas and it stormed so bad that we were snowed in for three days. Phoebe hated it, as she'd been looking forward to skiing for weeks, but I didn't mind so much. It was a good excuse to work on my math project."

Chakotay laughed. "You really were a swot, weren't you?"

"Oh, absolutely. But what can I say? I thrived on it. To me it was as essential as eating."

Chakotay turned to her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Well, how about we go inside and eat ourselves some dinner?"

"Sounds good. What do you fancy? I'll make it...by replicator, of course."

"I'll have whatever you're having. But I insist on making it. You go and sit down."

"In that case," Kathryn smiled, "I'll have a pizza. Lots of tomato. I just can't seem to get enough!"

Chakotay laughed. "Then pizza with lots of tomato it is."

After planting a kiss on Kathryn's forehead, Chakotay went inside. Kathryn followed, and walked through their spacious and elegant lounge to the sitting area. Her back was hurting, as it had been all day, and she hoped that sitting down would ease the pain. Their couch was a sumptious one of green velvet and was cozily situated before a magnificent chimney of gray stone. The chimney, like the house, had stood for over three hundred years, but while the chimney had once been ablaze with a real fire, the fire inside it now was holographic. Before the fire, sleeping on a colorful rug, was Scout. The cat loved the rug and hardly ever slept anywhere else. Next to the fireplace, out of the way in a corner, was their Christmas tree. It was so tall that it reached the ceiling and was surrounded by dozens of presents. The tree, which was artificial, glittered with all kinds of decorations and, amongst them, were the three baubles that a little Christmas Angel had delivered. They sparkled in the light and twinkled as brightly as the angel-doll on top.

In no time at all, Chakotay had replicated the pizzas, and they ate them together before the fire, talking and drinking as they did. When they'd finished, Chakotay cleared away the plates, but as he was doing so, Kathryn groaned from the couch. Anxiously, Chakotay left the plates on a table and went over to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kathryn cried. "But it hurts."

"Sit back and take deep breaths," Chakotay said calmly. "You're probably having one of B'Elanna's famous false alarms."

Kathryn had to smile at that. "Well, it certainly feels like I'm contracting...oh...definitely contracting."

"I'll call The Doctor. However, he may not be able to transport here in this storm."

"Won't be able to, you mean. But go ahead, call him."

Chakotay did so right away, but it was a while before The Doctor could speak to him as he was performing surgery. When he did, he was neither eager to risk death by transport, or of the opinion that his presence was needed. A false alarm, he said it was, and that the Admiral was being as much of a hypochondriac as B'Elanna. His advice was to relax, think sweet thoughts, and then the pains would pass.

"Easy for him to say," Kathryn said, "he's not the one in agony. Oh...Chakotay...the baby's coming, I feel it."

"Your waters would break first," Chakotay reasoned.

"Maybe they have but I didn't notice. Sometimes women don't and...Oh...she's coming."

Kathryn was clearly in a lot of pain, much more than a false alarm would cause, and Chakotay's concern increased.

"Ok, Kathryn," he said. "I'll take a look. Let's lie you down."

Gently, he helped her to lie down and propped her up by cushions so she was comfortable.

"I don't want her to come..." Kathryn panted, frightened tears in her eyes. "Not here...not like this..."

Chakotay took her hand in his. "If it's her time, it's her time. Just take deep breaths. You're in good hands. Remember, I helped deliver two of my sisters."

"But what if there are complications and..."

"Then we'll have to risk an emergency transport. Just take deep breaths, Kathryn, and try to relax."

Kathryn did her best as Chakotay assessed her condition, but then she cried out again. "I need to push, Chakotay...Oh God!"

"That's because you're right," he declared, "the baby's coming."

"She is?"

"Yes. So push, Kathryn. Follow your instincts!"

Kathryn pushed, pushed with all her might, and after a while a little cry filled the air. Breathless and sweating, Kathryn strained her neck to see. "Is she...?"

"She's perfect," Chakotay smiled. "Just perfect."

Kathryn laughed from joy and relief and then Chakotay placed the crying baby in her arms.

"She sure has a set of lungs on her, doesn't she?" Kathryn said through tears.

"She sure does," Chakotay smiled, his eyes moist.

"But she's really ok? I mean, she's early and..."

"She's fine, Kathryn. Three weeks is neither here nor there. But I'll get a medical tricorder and check."

Kathryn smiled. "Thanks, honey. I'm so proud of you..."

Chakotay kissed her damp forehead. "Not half as proud as I am of you."

He then left for the kitchen. As he did, Kathryn cuddled her precious little girl and, in the warmth and safety of her arms, the child stopped crying.

"Looks like she's settling," Chakotay said when he returned.

Kathryn nodded.

Aswell as the tricorder, Chakotay had replicated a few essentials and he placed them on a nearby table.

"But we must keep her warm...allow me."

Gently, he cut the umbilical cord, which was still attached, cleaned the baby's face, and then wrapped her in a soft towel. The child cried, her mouth wide open, but soon settled when she was in her mother's arms again. Then Chakotay scanned her.

"Just as I thought," he smiled, "she's perfectly fine. Now, let's see how Mommy's doing." He scanned her and then spoke. "Mommy's fine too."

Kathryn smiled and then gazed at her daughter while Chakotay pulled up a stool and sat beside them. "I can't believe she's here," she said, a tear running down her cheek, "can't believe she's ours."

"Neither can I. But she is. She's here and she's our little girl."

Kathryn turned to him. "Our little angel. Our Angelica."

"Is that what you'd like to call her?"

Kathryn nodded. "Because it's Christmas Eve and...because it's always been her name." She paused. "The baubles on the tree, my special ones...she gave them to me. I mean, a future her. I've never told you because time is so fluid and there was every possibility that the future she came from was gone. But it hasn't and she's here."

"How did she give them to you?"

"She visited me. Twice. The first time was seven years ago this very night. I was alone in my quarters on Voyager and was feeling very discouraged. So discouraged that I couldn't face going to the annual Christmas Eve party. But then she came, out of no where, and brought a Christmas tree with her. She was about six or seven years old and was so beautiful, Chakotay. She had long black hair, adorable brown eyes, and she was wearing an angel costume. She said that she was my little girl in the future and had been sent by Q to cheer me up. She gave me a bauble, the green one, and when I saw Q inside it, I kind of had no choice but to believe. She told me not to be sad, that I would get Voyager home. Then you came looking for me and she disappeared. The second time was last Christmas Eve. She looked exactly like before and came with another message and another bauble...the red one. She told me that you were sick, that you needed me. If she hadn't of come then, then I wouldn't have known."

Chakotay said nothing, but he didn't need to. Kathryn knew he felt the momentousness.

"The third bauble," she went on, "the blue one, my older-self gave me when she came to get Voyager home. She'd had a visit too. That time the message was not to give up." She paused. "She came at the times when we most needed her and...and I've cherished those visits. They gave me hope that someday she would exist, that someday we'd be a family...and now we are."

Suddenly, a white light flashed before them and Q appeared. He was dressed as Santa and was holding a glittering gold box in his hands.

"Well," he said, "isn't this cozy?"

"Q," Kathryn smiled.

"Never let it be said a bit of snow stops a Q getting about! Ho, ho, ho! You mortals, such babies! Speaking of which, congratulations, K and C!"

"Thank you," Kathryn replied. "And thank you for...you know what."

"Oh, all in a night's work! Isn't that what Mr Dickens says? Great fella him. Oh, we had some fun together."

"You met Charles Dickens?"

"Of course. The spirits of past, present, and future. Who do you think gave him the idea? Why, me, me, me! Oh, it was such fun gallivanting through time and space with a genius. I can't take all the credit for the tale of Mr Scrooge, of course, the miser was his idea, but he says the face of your doctor inspired him. Which reminds me..."

He clicked his fingers and suddenly Kathryn was in a white satin robe and Angelica was wrapped in a sparkling pink blanket.

"No rush for the medic man," he smiled. "You're as good as new and Angie Pangie is just dandy!"

Kathryn smiled back. "If I've ever said a word against you, Q, I take it back. Thank you."

"Just the one, Kathy? What about the other 999!"

"Each and every one, Q."

"Then are we friends? Please...pretty...please?"

"Friends," Kathryn smiled.

"Ho, ho, ho! After three thousand millenia of trying, I've finally done it! Katie is my matie!" He then presented the parcel to Chakotay. "For yo, yo, yo? Oh, no, no, no! It's for the little she, she, she from little me, me, me!" He then stepped away. "Now it's time to go, go, go, so ho, ho, ho!"

With that, he clicked his fingers and vanished.

"Well," Chakotay smiled. "This really is turning into quite a night."

"Yes," Kathryn laughed.

"How are you feeling? Are you really recovered?"

"To be honest, it's kind of hard to tell. I'm feeling so euphoric right now that I'm oblivious to any pain...or lack of it. But I think I am."

"I'll scan you to be sure."

He picked up the medical tricorder and quickly scanned her.

"Yes," he smiled. "You're just fine. No afterbirth, no soreness, but you're still lactating."

"I hope so," she teased, "or my new friendship with Q might just be in jeopardy."

Chakotay laughed softly.

"Speaking of the man...or the Q...open the present. I can't wait to see what he's given her."

Chakotay picked up the box and carefully opened it. Inside, nestled in silver silk, was a beautiful angel-doll. She had a gorgeous dress of shimmering white, glittering silver wings, and long black hair."

"Oh, Chakotay," Kathryn exclaimed, "she's beautiful."

"And she has a name," Chakotay said, reading an embroidery on her dress. "Angelina."

Kathryn smiled. "Angelina for an Angelica. Q's inventiveness really must have inspired Dickens!"

Chakotay laughed. Then he spoke. "There's something else in here," he said. "Another bauble, I think."

He pulled the something else out and, to Kathryn's delight, it was indeed another bauble. A shimmering gold one.

"Just perfect," Kathryn said. "It's the same as the others...even the letters."

"Letters?"

"If you look closely, you'll see our initials entwined...K, C and A"

Chakotay looked and indeed saw their initials delicately carved all over the bauble.

"All these years," Kathryn said, tears filling her eyes, "through everything we've endured...the heartache, the loneliness, even the battles...in these baubles our love, our family, has been with us, telling us that all would be well. And now...and now I'm getting blubbery again."

Chakotay gently put his hand on her shoulder. "A new mother's privilege." He then kissed her cheek. "Shall I put the bauble on the tree?"

Kathryn nodded.

With a smile, Chakotay squeezed her shoulder, kissed her again, and then went to hang up the bauble.

END OF CHAPTER 5


	6. Chapter 6

Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 6

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2386

Her hair now sleek and short, Kathryn stood before a magnificent Christmas tree in the lounge of her home. The tree was now six years old, the same as the little girl who had been born just feet away from it, and glittering amongst the decorations were the four special baubles of green, blue, red, and gold. The angel her father had given her was still topping the tree, and in the soft light of the room's artificial Christmas candles, Kathryn gazed at it. She was still gazing at it when Chakotay emerged from the kitchen. His dark hair was streaked with silver now but he was still as handsome as Kathryn was beautiful.

"Here," he said, going over to her with two steaming mugs in his hands. "A hot chocolate."

Kathryn took the drink with a thank you, but then continued to gaze at the angel.

"Are you ok?" Chakotay asked. "You seem a little distracted."

"I'm fine," she answered. "I'm just...I think tonight's the night."

"For what?"

Kathryn turned to him. "For our little angel to do her thing."

"I see," he said.

"She looks exactly as she did in the visits, and during the first one she told me we'd burnt mince pies that day. Well, our effort this morning almost burnt the house down."

Chakotay laughed. "It certainly did."

"It's time," Kathryn said, "I feel it. Time for the wheel to come full circle. I'm just wondering how it will happen...what it will look like."

"Well," Chakotay smiled as Angelica came running down the stairs in excitement, "I think we may be about to find out."

Kathryn put down her drink and turned towards the spiraling stairs. As she did, Angelica came into view and Kathryn gasped. The smiling little girl was wearing an angel costume and was holding a silver bauble in her hands.

"Mommy, Mommy!" she cried. "Look at me! I'm your Christmas Angel!"

Tears filled Kathryn's eyes. "Yes, darling."

"Q says I can keep the costume, as a birthday present, and he's given us another bauble. Isn't it beautiful?"

Kathryn nodded.

"I'm so glad I got to cheer you up, Mommy. I hate to see you sad. And I'm so glad you didn't die, Daddy." She stepped forward and handed the bauble to her mother. "For you, Mommy."

Kathryn smiled. "Thank you. And what's your message this time?"

"None," she answered, "except that I love you."

Tenderly, Kathryn reached out and put her hand to the child's cheek. "I love you too, darling."

Angelica then turned to her father. "And you, Daddy. I love you too."

Chakotay smiled. "As I do you."

"I love the mince pie Neelix made too," Angelica went on. "I ate it all. Every last bit! You'll have to ask him for the recipe when you next talk to him, Mommy. I know we can't make them, at least not without burning them, but Grandma Gretchen or Aunt Martha can."

"They sure can," Kathryn replied. "If we don't have the recipe in Voyager's database, I'll ask him."

"Oh thank you, Mommy! Thank you! Then we can have them at my next Birthday-Christmas party!"

"If I'm not mistaken," Chakotay said, gesturing to the Christmas tree. "There are new presents."

"Oh, there are," Angelica declared. "They're from Q. Isn't he kind, Mommy? I don't know why people say bad things about him. He's the funniest person I know."

"Well," Kathryn smiled, "he's certainly funny." She then held up the bauble. "What do you say? Shall we put the bauble up?"

"Yes, yes," Angelica laughed. "Let's put it up!"

Without further ado, Chakotay lifted his beloved little girl into his arms and Kathryn handed her the bauble. Then, with a happy smile on her face, Angelica fastened the bauble to the tree.

THE END


End file.
